Railway-rail joint



March 18, 1930. s. H. GRIFFITHS RAILWAY RAIL JOINT Filed se i. 11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 w m I March 18, 1930. s H. GRIFFITHS RAILWAY RAIL JOINT Filed Sept. 11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES SEPTIMUS H. GRIFFITHS, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT Application filed September 11, 1929. Serial No. 391,791.

This invention pertains to new and novel improvements in railway rail joints, and has special reference to the construction of the ends of the rail and the rail joint bars or 5 plates, whereby the clamping effect against the track rails at and near the meeting ends of the rails is more readily facilitated and adapted to compensate for the wear which usually occurs at and near said meeting ends.

The main object of this invention is to provide simple, novel, durable and thoroughly efficient means for safely and reliably uniting and securing the meeting ends of railway track rails together, said means serving to materially increase the longevity of the rail joint and track rails.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safe and reliable railway rail joint composed of a minimum number of parts, with means for firmly securing and locking the several parts together when properly assembled, said joint including novel means adapted to compensate for the wear which customarily occurs at and near the juncture of the meeting ends of the track rails.

Another object of the invention is to so construct my improved rail joint that the meeting ends of the track rails will always possess a maximum amount of vertical strength, together with a maximum of lateral strength and rigidity to withstand the enormous strain to which the rails are subjected during the travel of the heavy rolling stock thereon.

Further objects of the invention are to so construct the meetingends of the rails that the upper splice bars connected therewith serve to bridge over the joint or juncture of the rails thus preventing any pounding and damage to the rails at said juncture which usually occurs, and at the same time said splice bars are so formed as to fit snugly and tightly against the under-surface of the tread of the rails in order to always maintain the treads in level and smooth alinement, and further serving, when properly adjusted to coact in connection with the lower splice bars and base plate to securely and safely lock the meeting ends of the rails together and always maintain the rails in their safe and proper alinement, yet freely permitting and allowing for the ordinary expansion and contraction of the track rails to which they are subjected.

The foregoing and such other objects as may appear from the ensuing description are attained by the construction, arrangement, location and combination of the several parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, it being understood that slight changes in the precise form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings which form ah part of the specification it will be seen t at Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved means embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View thereof.

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken in the plane of the dotted lines 33, Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective showing one end of a track rail with a splice bar assembled and locked in contact with the end of the rail and the base plate disposed beneath the base of the rail.

Figure 5 is a perspective showing the upper splice and locking bar or plate, and

Figure 6 is a perspective showing the lower splice bar.

In the embodiment of my invention as illustrated it will be seen that the numeral 1 designates the oint end portion of each track rail, the meeting end portion of each'rail being provided with a longitudinal slot 2 extending from its extreme end to a suitable distance rearwardly formed through the tread of the rail at each side of the central web portion 3 of the rail, and disposed beneath the base portion 4 of the meeting ends of the rails is a base plate 5, which extends any suitable or desirable distance beyond the end of each rail, upon which the rails are seated.

The numeral 6 indicates the up er splice bar formed from a single integrai iece of metal having an upwardly centrally isposed extension 7 adapted to be'fitted within the slots 2 in each end of each track rail, the upper face of the extension bridging the meeting ends of the rails and terminating on a level with the upper face of the rails, thus forming a continuous bearing surface for the wheels of the rolling stock as it travels over the joint, while the upper face of the said bar 6, at each side of the extension 7, is formed with a curved upper face 8 adapted to fit snugly and tightly in contact with the lower curved surface of the rail tread, as is clearly shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the lowermost face 8 of the bar 6 being formed smooth and flat throughout its length and adapted to rest in contact with the upper broad face 9 of the lower splice bar 10, with its outer face in contact with an upward ly disposed extension 11 formed at the top portion of the bar 10, the latter being formed with a' downwardly and outwardly inclinet outer face 12, terminating at its lower edge with a vertical face 13, adapted to engage with the upward extension 14: formed on the base plate 5, the inner face 15'of the bar 10 being sloped and curved to correspond with the outer surface of the rail base, said inner face being adapted to engage with and tightly clamp against a portion of the web of the rail and cover the entire rail base, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and A of the drawings.

It'will be perceived that when the several parts of this type of oint shall have been assembled and locked together in the manner hereinbefore described all of the parts will be tightly secured and will insure that the track rails are maintained in proper alinement under all conditions, yet if desired, securing bolts or other suitable means may be utilized and employed in connection with this particular construction of joint.

It will be understood that all of the parts may be made of any suitable or desirable metal, but that they are preferably formed from a high grade of steel possessing the required and desired strength and durability, and that the base plate and splice bars may be made in any suitable length or dimensions, such as may be desired or required to properly serve the purposes intended.

The assembling of the several parts of my novelrail' joint may be briefly described as follows WVhen the meeting ends of the rails shall have been properly seated upon the base plate 5, it is simply necessary to pass the upward extension 7 of the upper splice bar 6 upwardly within the slotted portion 2 of the rails until the curved surface 8 of the bar rests in contact with the lower curved surface of the rail tread,.then by sliding or forcing the low- Itwillbe readily obvious that this c011-- struction may be readily utilized in connection with the ordinary railway rails and road bed, such as are now employed after the railway rails shall have been provided with the proper slots at each end thereof.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails formed with a slotted portion at each end thereof, a base plate disposed beneath the end portions of the rails, an upper splice bar formed with an upward extension adapted to be fitted within the slotted portion of each rail, and a lower splice bar slidably disposed beneath the upper splice bar and in contact with said base plate.

2. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails formed with slots through the tread at each side of the web portion of each rail, a base plate upon which the ends of the rails areseated, an upper splice bar formed with a centrally disposed upward extension, and a lower splice bar disposed between and in contact with said upper bar and the base plate.

3. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails formed with slots through the tread at each side of'the longitudinal center of each rail at each end portion, a splice bar formed with an upward extension adapted to be fitted within one of said slots, and a lower splice bar slidably disposed between said upper bar and in contact with the upward extension of the baseplate.

4. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails with slots formed through the tread portion at each end of each rail, a base plate upon which the ends of the rails are seated, an upper splice bar adapted -to be fitted within said slots, and a lower splice bar disposed between and in contact with the upper bar and base plate.

5. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails formed with slots at each end, a base plate upon which'the ends of the rails are seated, an upper splice bar formed with a centrally disposed upward extension adapted to be fittedwithin one of said slots and provided with a curved upper surface at each end of said extension adapted to conform and contact with the lower surface of the tread of the rails, and a lower splice bar disposed between the upper bar and the base plate and in contact with said upper bar and plate.

6. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails formed with slots through the tread at each end portion of the" rails, a base plate formed with an upward extension at each side, an upper splice bar formed with an upward extension adapted to be fitted within one of said slots, and a lower splice bar formed with abroadened I upper face and an upward extension for the reception of said upper bar, said lower bar being slidably disposed between the upper bar and in contact with the extension formed on the base plate.

7. A rail joint of the character described, comprising track rails formed with slots through the thread at each side of the longitudinal center of the rails at each end, a base plate upon which the end portions of the rails are seated, an upper splice bar formed with an upward extension adapted to be fitted within one of said slots of the rails, a lower splice bar formed with an upper face adapted for the reception of the lower face of the upper bar a downwardly and outwardly inclined outer face terminating with a Vertical lower end portion in contact with the base plate and an inner face-sloped and curved to conform with and tightly contact with the web and base of the track rail.

SEPTIMUS H. GRIFFITHS. 

